Games
by stamper55555
Summary: The P2P killer is at it again, and it gets personal for Tony once again. Only this time, it's someone he never expected to see again. Yeah, they'd been married, but it had ended, and his scars had healed... Hadn't they? Set after Baltimore.
1. Wendy

A/N: Okay, so this is really not relevant anymore, since we already know who the P2P is. But I might change that identity for this story's purposes. It's set right after Baltimore. I was not satisfied with the way they handled Tony and his music teacher's engagement. It was kind of just like, "Tony's engaged. Onto other news..." and they just kind of left it there. So, here's what I think should have happened!

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><p>"You know, this is getting kind of old," Tony complained as he made his way through the park, where the latest Port to Port victim was lying. "I mean, the same cause of death, the same plastic wrapping the body, the same lack of any evidence at all… It's time for a change!"<p>

Gibbs, walking directly behind him, smacked his head. "Maybe he messed up this time, DiNozzo. Maybe there's your change."

"While I agree with you, Anthony, that it is getting tedious, we do not get to choose which murders to investigate," Ducky said as they approached the body, where Tim was already taking pictures, and where Ziva was kneeling beside the young woman. He took out scissors and offered them to Ziva, but she whipped out a blade of her own. "Rule 9," she said with a grin.

"Do be careful," Ducky advised her as she put the blade to the plastic.

She stopped what she was doing and looked at him, insulted. He chuckled. "Everyone makes mistakes, Ziva. Even you, I would imagine."

She smiled. "I may have made a mistake _once_, but that was long ago, and was easily fixed," she added with a wink.

Ducky laughed again, and Ziva cut the plastic.

Just as Tim was capturing her face with the camera, Tony caught a glimpse of her.

"Oh my God…"

Before anyone could say anything, Tony was walking as fast as he could toward the car. Gibbs looked down at the body, then whipped his head up to watch Tony. The older man had shock, sympathy, and confusion on his face as he watched Tony lose his lunch all over the vic's driveway. Looking down at the body again, he thought it was a wonder that his Senior Field Agent had made it that far from the immediate crime scene.

Tim was still staring after his friend when he asked, "Gibbs? Is he okay?"

"He will be, with some time."

"Who is she?" Ziva asked, wondering just who the beautiful woman lying dead before her could have been to make Tony react that way, and why she looked a bit familiar…

"Not my story to tell," Gibbs answered, without really answering the question. "McGee."

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Take the Charger; make sure DiNozzo gets home all right. And stay with him. If he wants you to leave, give him his space, but you're there on my orders. Unless you really think he'll shoot you, you stay there. Got it?"

"Got it, Boss," he responded, though if he was being honest, he didn't get it at all.

"Just who is this young lady, Jethro?" Ducky asked as he watched the car drive away down the street.

"Her name was Wendy."

"Does Miss Wendy have a last name?" Ducky asked, giving Gibbs a look that said _You know I will find out; you might as well save some time._

Gibbs sighed, then leaned closer to murmur the secret that he hadn't wanted to, and still refused to, to the team, "DiNozzo. Her name was Wendy DiNozzo."

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><p>"It's not possible," Tony muttered from the Charger's passenger seat as he looked out the window and saw anything but the other cars going past.<p>

"What?" McGee asked. It was the first thing Tony had said since the initial "Oh my God."

"I said, it's not possible," Tony repeated, a bit louder this time. He was still pale, and his voice shook when he spoke.

Tim chose his next words carefully. "Look, Tony, I know it's hard to believe when someone you know dies…"

"Someone I know? Do you really think she was just 'someone I know'?"

"What am I supposed to think, Tony?" McGee shot back, though he realized afterwards that he should have been a little more sympathetic to his friend.

"She was my _wife_, McGee."

Tim slammed on the brakes so hard he hit his head on the steering wheel. Luckily, there were no cars behind them to rear-end them.

Ignoring the pain and blood on his forehead, he faced Tony and yelled, "_What?"_

"Are you deaf? She was my wife. I was her husband. We were married. Do you understand now?"

Tim opened and closed his mouth a few times, unable to make an intelligible sound. Finally, he managed, "_You _were _married_?"

"Yes, McGee, I was married. For about two months, ten years ago."

"What happened?" He couldn't help his curiosity. Sure, his friend was afraid of commitment, but once he made up his mind, he didn't back down. Surely he couldn't have gotten a divorce that quickly…

Tony looked at his friend with the saddest eyes Tim had ever seen.

"She died."

"I know, Tony, I saw," Tim said sympathetically.

Tony shook his head. "No, you don't understand. McGee, she died ten years ago."

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><p>AN: Confused? Review! Got predictions? Review! Hate it? Review! Love it? Review! If you have any feelings on it at all, PLEASE REVIEW!


	2. Recognition?

**A/N:** I know you all are dying to read this next chapter after the cliffhanger I left you with last time, but first I want to say thanks to everyone who reviewed. I was completely blown away by your positive response. I hope you think Chapter 2 is just as good!

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><p>"How could she have died ten years ago and shown up at our crime scene looking like she'd been dead for less than a day?" McGee demanded.<p>

"How would I know?" Tony asked miserably.

Tim bit his lip, not wanting to ask the question that came tumbling out of his mouth anyway: "Are you sure she was dead?"

Tony's eyes flashed. "I'm confused about this, too. But Wendy wasn't the kind of woman to fake her own death. Besides, it was an open-casket funeral. It was definitely her in that box, McGee."

Again, he felt like he was prying, but he wanted to know what was going on. "How…?" he asked gently.

"Car accident. She was walking home from school – that was all she wanted when we'd moved to DC: a place walking distance from work – and was crossing the street. The driver didn't see her, and turned. When he did notice her, he was going too fast to stop. Paramedics pronounced her dead on arrival."

Tim shook his head. _At least it wasn't connected to his job…_ he thought, remembering all the times their loved ones had been put in danger due to their positions as federal agents. He quickly banished the thought, because now his job _was_ connected to her.

Tears were trickling slowly and silently down Tony's face. "Identifying her was just about the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It took a few months to be able to walk back into Autopsy afterwards."

"I'm so sorry." How many times had he said that already? "Did you press charges?"

Tony shook his head. "I couldn't."

"Why not?" If anything ever happened to someone he loved, Tim would make sure they were punished to the fullest extent of the law, if not worse.

"He was just a kid, Tim. One of her students. Football and basketball player. He was going to be living with the guilt for the rest of his life, I couldn't let anything ruin his life anymore. And it really wasn't his fault; it was a blind turn."

Tony fell silent, and Tim didn't interrupt his thoughts. He had his own to sort through.

Back at the crime scene, Ziva had figured out that the two older men were keeping things from her. From the way Palmer had been giving her questioning looks, he'd noticed as well. It annoyed her, but she shook her head at him, silently conveying the message that they'd just have to wait for answers.

Gibbs was on the phone with McGee, asking how Tony was holding up. She took a few steps closer, trying to hear at least half the conversation. The suspense was killing her; she didn't appreciate being kept out of the loop, especially where her partner was concerned.

"Yes, McGee… It's true… I don't know, but tell him we're going to find out… No, you stay there. I'll come over later with some steaks and beers… Just keep taking care of him."

Ziva's curiosity was burning to know who the victim was, and who she was to Tony. She'd never seen him like that. Not when he'd broken up with Jeanne, or when she'd accused him of her father's murder; not when his own father had been a suspect in one of their cases; not even last week, when he'd found his old partner in the same manner.

_Wait a minute… Jeanne._

"Ducky, may I please look at the body again?"

He looked at Gibbs, who nodded an okay. Tony didn't keep any pictures of Wendy at work anymore, and he always put the ones in his apartment away when company was coming. He was sure Ziva wouldn't be able to know who she was.

And yet, when Ziva looked down at the body, he saw something mingling with the confusion clouding her eyes.

He saw recognition.

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><p><strong>AN**: I know, you probably hate me for leaving you with another cliffhanger. Remember, I like to hear what you think is going to happen next! It might be better than what I have planned, or spot on, or something I could use in another fanfic!


	3. More Secrets

Ducky noticed the expression on Ziva's face as well. "Ziva, you don't know this young woman, do you?"  
>Ziva tore her eyes away from the corpse. "No," she admitted.<p>

Gibbs gave a sigh of relief. He knew that when someone kept a secret, he kept it for a reason, and he didn't want Tony's to be known by all before he could tell them himself.

"But does she not look like someone we know?"

Gibbs, Ducky, and Palmer all came next to her, wondering who she saw in the dead woman's face. They looked down at her, and then back up at Ziva, waiting for her to explain what they were missing.

"Does she not look similar to Dr. Benoit?"

As one, the three men looked back at Wendy quickly.

"Oh, my," Ducky said.

Gibbs let out a curse, then told them, "Do not tell Tony you think that. Do you understand me?"

Before they could ask why, he was walking away with his phone to his ear.

"Come on, Leon, pick up," he muttered.

_"Director Vance."_

"Got a new Port to Port victim."

_"I know that, Agent Gibbs. I'm the one who sent you there, remember?"_

"Leon, the vic was DiNozzo's wife."

_"I wasn't aware that Agent DiNozzo was married."_

"Not a current wife. The one who's been dead for ten years."

_"You think she faked her own death?"_ Vance guessed.

"I think _something's_ going on, Leon! But that's not why I called."

_"Course it isn't."_

Ignoring that, Gibbs continued, "Do you know why Jen Sheppard chose Tony to go undercover for that mission four years ago?"

Blindsided, Vance took a moment to answer. _"No. I always thought it was because of his history with women."_

"It was, but not the one you're thinking of. Jeanne Benoit looked just like Wendy DiNozzo. Same haircut, same hair and eye color, even their facial structures were similar!"

_"Are you saying that Director Sheppard assigned Tony to that mission because she knew he'd see his wife in her?"_

"Rule 39: There's no such thing as a coincidence."

_"I'll look into it,"_ Vance promised.

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><p>When Gibbs hung up, Vance sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was to blacken the name of his deceased predecessor. But when things were affecting his best team on such a personal level, he didn't really have a choice. He picked the phone back up and dialed the one number that might hold answers on the other end.<p>

"Hello, I'm looking for Cynthia Sumner…"

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><p>McGee was more than a little surprised when Tony merely accepted his presence instead of protesting it. Tony sat on the couch, his head in his hands. Tim asked if he needed anything to drink: water, coffee…a beer. But he never received a response. Finally he realized that Tony wasn't even acknowledging his company; his thoughts were elsewhere, most likely with his deceased wife.<p>

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><p><em>It was a sunny Friday in the middle of May. Tony was at his desk at work, messing around while his new boss wondered yet again why in the world he'd offered the young man a job in the first place.<em>

_"DiNozzo, if I have to tell you one more time to write up your report–"_

_But he was cut off by his new agent's desk phone ringing._

_"Sorry, Boss," he said with a not-so-apologetic smile. "I gotta take this." Almost instantly after picking up the phone, his grin had vanished. _

_"Yes, this is Anthony DiNozzo… Yes…" Then his phone almost fell from his hand. He fumbled for it, barely catching it. "Where? Oh my god… I'm on my way now."_

_Before he'd even hung up, he was grabbing his keys. "Gibbs, I'm sorry, but I have to go. There's been an accident, and Wendy…" Tears started welling up in his eyes. He blinked furiously at them, not allowing any weakness – especially crying – to be seen by his boss. _

_But Gibbs stood up, too, obviously able to fill in the end of the sentence that Tony couldn't bring himself to say. Tony didn't know it at the time, but Gibbs had experienced the exact same pain before, and wanted to be there for his agent._

_"I'm coming with you."_

_"No," Tony argued. "I'm fine."_

_"Tony." That was all Gibbs had to say. The younger man looked at the sad, understanding look on his boss' face, and couldn't help but agree. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling that the older man had once been in his shoes and was acting the way he wished someone had with him._

_"Okay, Boss."_

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><p>Gibbs blinked the memory away. He needed to focus on what was going on now, especially when he was driving. But he couldn't. Not when his agent was suffering the emotional pain that he'd locked away for so long. <em>Just until we get to NCIS, <em>he thought to himself. _Then I'll call McGee and see how Tony's doing._

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><p><strong>AN: **I know, it's a very abrupt end of the chapter, but I don't know how to start the next scene, and so I found a good place to stop for the day. I will update as soon as I can.


	4. Lies and Surprises

**A/N: Hey, readers! Didja miss me? I know, it's been a while, but I've been getting ready to go off to college, so I hope that's a valid excuse for you. Plus, I only today figured out whodunnit in this story, and I had to know that to write anymore. It took away my writer's block, and I hope you like the outcome.**

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><p>Just a little while later, Cynthia was sitting in Interrogation. Gibbs knew her; she did things by the book when she could, but she'd always been loyal to Director Shepard. The two had been good friends; in fact, she'd quit when Jenny had died. She couldn't see herself working in the same place after that had happened. Gibbs knew that if they had this conversation in Interrogation rather than the conference room, she'd be less likely to hold back.<p>

But she was sitting there alone. Gibbs wanted to be the one to talk to her, but he was nowhere to be found. Ziva watched Cynthia from Observation, wondering exactly why she was there. She looked nervous, certainly, but not guilty. Surely she had nothing to do with the body that had turned up this morning. She had never seemed like the killer type. Cynthia looked again at the still-closed door, and Ziva followed her gaze. Where was Gibbs?

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><p>The answer: at his desk. He was too worried about Tony to wait until after his conversation with Cynthia.<p>

The phone rang and rang, and Gibbs was close to hanging up and trying McGee's when someone picked up.

_"Hello?"_ The voice sounded unsure, but not sad. It was Tim.

"Hey, McGee. How're things going?"

_"Not great,"_ he admitted._ "But I guess that's understandable. I just don't know what to do; he's just sitting here, not moving or saying anything at all!"_

"Not much you can do. Just sit with him. Maybe turn on a movie. Just give me a few hours, and I'll be there. We've got a possible lead."

_"Really? What is it?"_ he asked, happy with the idea of giving his friend some good news. He hoped that as soon as this was over, Tony would get back to his old self.

"That's need-to-know right now, McGee. Don't want to jinx it." It was a bad excuse, and they both knew it, but Gibbs didn't want to take the chance of Tony finding out that Jen might have used his dead wife to convince him to agree to the mission that ended up breaking his heart.

Though he wanted to, Tim didn't question it. He trusted his boss' judgment, even when he didn't understand it. _"Okay, Boss. See you in a few hours."_

"Take care of him, McGee." He hung up and put on his game face. It was time to get some answers.

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><p>Ziva was getting bored and more than a little irritated by the time Gibbs finally walked into Interrogation and sat down across from Cynthia. She could see that this was not a normal interrogation; Gibbs sat down and said hello as if they were just catching up, and not there for a more serious matter. She breathed a sigh of relief. While she hadn't known Cynthia very well, she'd always liked her. It was nice to know that she wasn't a suspect in this murder, and perhaps others as well.<p>

Her relief quickly turned to confusion, an emotion she'd already felt enough for one day. If she wasn't a suspect, then why had Gibbs called her in?

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><p>"Hello, Agent Gibbs."<p>

He nodded. "Cynthia."

"Not to be brash…" It was weird to say that to Agent Gibbs, of all people. "But why am I here?"

"You're here because of an undercover operation the late Director Sheppard assigned to Agent DiNozzo."

"I wasn't filled in on everything," she said, her eyebrows furrowed. "And besides, I know that Agent DiNozzo is very good at undercover work, and there have been a lot of operations over the years. You'll have to be more specific."

"It was the Frog mission. I know you know about that one. I think you know more than you say you do, because when I took over the desk that week you were always right on top of things, telling me what needed to be done."

Cynthia's expression darkened at the word "Frog." "Okay, I do remember that one. But that was four years ago. Why is it coming up now?"

"That's classified. But if you know why Director Sheppard picked Tony out of all the other agents out there, you need to tell me. _Now._"

She couldn't hold his gaze, and hesitated before answering. "No. No, I don't know. I thought it was because he was" – Her gaze flicked to the mirror – "a ladies man, and good at undercover missions."

It was obvious that she was lying to him, but before he knew why, he didn't want to make an enemy out of her. He thanked her for her honesty – thinking maybe he could guilt her into telling the truth – and when she said nothing, told her she was free to go back to work.

She left silently, still refusing to meet his gaze.

He headed upstairs to do what he should have done in the first place: take a look at the case file. He added to his mental list of things to do to peek into Cynthia's personnel file. It was important to figure out just why she was lying to him.

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><p>Back at Tony's apartment, Tim was getting increasingly worried. He'd made Tony coffee, but it sat untouched and cold on a coaster on the coffee table in front of him. Unsure of how Tony would feel about his going near his impressive movie collection, Tim had just turned on TV, but he didn't know what was appropriate: A comedy, to lift his spirits? Or would that have seemed insensitive? The news would be on by now, but a story could come on to remind Tony of what had happened – or worse, the media could have heard about the crime scene already. Luckily, a few minutes of channel surfing took him to a movie channel, where there was an all-day James Bond marathon. Perfect.<p>

But Tony didn't even look at the British spy. He just stared into space, not seeing anything.

When Tim noticed him shaking, he stood up and rushed to Tony's bedroom. He knew it probably wasn't from cold, but he was finally able to feel useful. He found a blanket thrown on the bed, and was about to pick it up to bring it back to the living room when something on the nightstand caught his eye. It was a picture of Tony, with Wendy on his arm, but they weren't who he was staring at.

On Tony's other arm was none other than Abby Sciuto.

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><p><strong>AN: WHAT? Abby knew too? Whoa! And she kept it from McGee? Oh, wait... I knew that already. Please review to tell me what you think!**


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